After serving the judiciary for more than three decades, Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Jose Calayag Reyes Jr. retires on Friday (Sept. 18) when he turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for judges and justices.
He was a trial court judge for 16 years, an associate justice of the Court of Appeals (CA) for 15 years, and SC magistrate for a little more than two years.
Before his stint as a judge and as a justice, and even before becoming a lawyer, Reyes worked with the SC as a technical assistant and later, after passing the bar, as a court attorney.
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) -- the constitutionally mandated office that accepts, screens, and nominates appointments to the judiciary -- has named seven nominees to Reyes’ post.
Nominated were Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez and CA Associate Justices Ricardo De Rivera Rosario, Ramon A. Cruz, Japar B. Dimaampao, Jhosep Y. Lopez, Eduardo B. Peralta Jr., and Maria Filomena D. Singh.
President Duterte has 90 days from September 18 to appoint Reyes’ replacement.
Last Tuesday, the judiciary – led by Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta – honored Reyes during a retirement ceremony.
Justice Reyes, who hails from Tacloban City, finished his pre law and law degree both in San Beda College.
He is an academician being a professor at the College of Business and Economics in De La Salle University for the past four decades.
His bio-data at the SC website stated that De La Salle University awarded him as the Most Outstanding Part-Time Faculty for School Year 2001-2002.
He was also given the Juan Medrano Service Award for dedicated service in the mission of Christian Education and long-term contribution as a La Sallian co-worker and partner.
Also, he has been a professorial Lecturer of the Philippine Judicial Academy, Remedial Law Department, since 2008.
Despite his tedious career in the judiciary, Justice Reyes has been and is still active in church and community service.
Reyes’ bio-data also showed that among his church and community service endeavors are as an active eucharistic minister of Villa San Miguel Chapel in Mandaluyong City; team leader of the Christian Life Program of Couples for Christ in the Court of Appeals; a Christian Life Program speaker in courts and government offices under the Moral Recovery Program of the government; a board member of the Couples for Christ St. Thomas More and Associates Ministry that advocates good governance and good citizenship; an alumnus of the John Haggai Institute, Mid-Pacific Center, Kihei, Hawaii, United States of America that conducts evangelization training for Christian leaders; and a Luzon North Deputy and Supreme Director of the Knights of Columbus.